In the morning, Britain’s Ministry of Defense reported that the Russians had probably captured most of the city, one of their few successes since the humiliating defeats they suffered late last year.
Ukrainian forces are still holding their positions in the city of Solentar in eastern Ukraine, despite the fiercest attack launched by Russia, Deputy Defense Minister Hana Maliar assured tonight.
In the morning, Britain’s Ministry of Defense reported that the Russians had probably captured most of the city, one of their few successes since the humiliating defeats they suffered late last year.
“The fierce battle for control of Solentar continues. The enemy does not care about the heavy losses of its personnel and continues to advance,” Maliar’s statement reads. “The access roads to our positions are simply paved with the corpses of dead enemy fighters. Our fighters are defending themselves bravely“, he added.
In his speech last night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that the situation in Solendar is “difficult” but that the Ukrainian defenders of the city are holding out and Kyiv will eventually drive the Russians out of the entire Donbas region. “And what does Russia have to gain there? Everything is destroyed, there is no life. And thousands of their own people perished: the land around Solentar is covered with the corpses of the conquerors and the scars of their wounds. This is what madness looks like“, he said.
Serhii Tserevaty, a spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern forces, said the Russians had deployed the best fighters of the Wagner mercenary group to Solentar, which was hit 86 times by artillery in 24 hours. He compared Russia’s tactics to World War I: throwing large numbers of men into battle and absorbing heavy casualties. “This is essentially not a 21st century war“, he said.
Reuters was unable to verify the situation in Soledar itself. Journalist Yury Butusov, who follows Ukrainian forces in Solentar, wrote on the New Voice news website that Russian forces control the Ukrainians’ main supply route. “It is not a complete encirclement but resupply from this route is impossible and this is critical for defense“, explained.
Wagner’s founder and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Saturday that Solentar is important because it has a network of vast underground tunnels, thanks to the area’s mines. Washington believes that Prigozhin may want to control the region’s ores.
RES-EMP
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